NRL's cut-price ticket sham ripping off loyal fans is exposed
Paul Crawley
The Daily Telegraph
September 21, 2013 12:00AM
AS if the crowds attending the NRL finals matches aren't embarrassing enough for the game's administrators, now a cut-price ticket sham has been exposed that is ripping off loyal fans.
Ahead of Friday night's clash between Manly and Cronulla at Allianz Stadium, top rating broadcaster Ray Hadley revealed how the NRL were sanctioning the sale of tickets on a rival website for less than a third of the cost of what they were charging fans on their official website.
Hadley said tickets that were being sold for $70 on NRL.com.au were being flogged for just $22 on lasttix.com.au a saving of $43.
Hadley told his listeners how his program called the NRL to try and get an explanation how lasttix could be selling the tickets so cheap and were stunned to discover that the game’s administrators were actually aware of the "marketing ploy".
He said it was all designed to bump up the crowd for Friday night’s game but, as Hadley explained, fans that paid full price had every right to feel cheated.
"I will tell you what it is another way of doing, getting offside with your fans," Hadley said.
"You are wanting fans to go to your website and pay the full whack but you are giving tickets at a reduced rate to lasttix.
"It's a strange old way to do it.
"Bizarre in the extreme."
Hadley then offered this advice to NRL boss Dave Smith.
"Here's a tip," Hadley said.
"Coowee.
"You listening Dave (Smith), here's a tip for you.
"You know all the tickets you've got on your website now, NRL.com.au, make them $10 each, and maybe you will fill the joint.
"Or here’s a better tip.
"Based on the sort of figures you've been getting over the past three weeks, get John Brady, get your marketing people out the front of Driver Ave with a prawn net and drag people in as they are walking past.
"That might be just as effective."
The NRL were under fire all week for the dreadful crowds that attended last week’s finals games — and Friday night’s game was this weekend’s only game in Sydney.
The match today between the Storm and Knights is in Melbourne.
Read more: http://www.foxsports.com.au/league/nrls ... z2fULXZOM2
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